I’m a self taught artist and have been drawing since I was five years old. My early drawings consisted mostly of dinosaurs and monsters, creatures of the imagination, fertile ground for stern warnings from strict catholic school nuns whom didn’t appreciate being depicted as nun du jour for a very hungry T-Rex drawn on their classroom blackboards.
Fast forward to my mid-teen years, getting turned on to music by the likes of Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix, Miles Davis, Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, The Band… I was introduced to the wonders of Cannabis Sativa at the age of sixteen, (many of the kids in my class had been heads several years before me). Under the influence I noticed that my drawings became more intricately elaborate, revealing new worlds to me that intrigued not only myself but my stoner friends at school.
Experimentation with sativa opened up new corridors of visual and musical curiosities. As I read up on different books relating to entheogens and its historical use amongst world cultures, I began to seek out these sacred plants as I felt disconnected to the norms of society and yearned for inter-dimensional spiritual connections. Soon enough I was exploring the varying effects of mescaline, peyote, psilocybin and opium.
I NEVER was addicted to any of these plants nor did I ever once experience a so-called “bad trip” or “flashbacks”. My consumption was in moderation and never was about abuse or recreational. In other words I respected the experience for what it spiritually meant.

VISIONARY REVUE

I began to paint for the first time during my mid twenties never having picked up a brush before, feeling a need to try to capture some of the “visions” that were flowing through me. In hindsight it was through the direct result of exploring the world of entheogens that influenced me to paint without any previous formal studies.

J. Myztico Campo

On a recent visit to Amsterdam, I decided to try McKennai mushrooms from one of the local smart shops. I was in for a ride, a very deep journey that lasted about 8 hours. Several entities visited me during a long evening of meditational visions. This one was different, it acted as my spirit guide, and its Black Panther animal spirit was evident as was its crystallized wings. I noticed a variety of symbols floating around its body with ancient symbols that emanated from Mayan, Egyptian and Buddhist cultures. Several luminous spirits danced around these sprouting time-lapse photographic mushrooms beckoning me to visit deeper into their world.
This particular guide took me to the “source” that created all life forms spanning millions of planets. It’s difficult to describe how powerful these visions were in mere words. This guide took me through a wormhole in space which was intense within itself. When we arrived at the destination my instincts kicked in and I knew that this was incredibly special.

FALL 2007

ESPERANZA
J. Myztico Campo

This guide communicated telepathically and said, “This is the source of ALL creation”, it looked at me and smiled. Tears began streaming from my eyes; I could not believe what I was so vividly seeing. It was as if I was witnessing a light so pure in its intensity emanating from the womb of GOD, (possibly the exit side of a “black hole”). From its center came a spiral that seemed similar to a massive DNA strand that was creating an endless amount of life forms and then placing them on their host planets. I could clearly make out the immense variety of beings and creatures that were being born from this source.
These deep visions went on for at least 2-3 hours before I returned to the earth plane. I have tried to capture this spirit guide in the painting Esperanza (Spanish for hope).

VISIONARY REVUE

PEYOTE HEALING
J. Myztico Campo

Peyote Healing was inspired by a Native American church peyote ceremony that I attended with a Hopi friend several years back in NYC. Under the influence of the sacred cacti I witnessed in my minds eye this mischievous spirit doing a strange dance to the rhythms of hand drums and chants. I recalled seeing it dance around the room of about twenty people. My friend also witnessed something similar. I later drew this entity & showed it to her: it blew her mind as it resembled what she had also seen.
Is it possible that sentient beings under the influence of sacred plants can visualize similar entities manifesting itself to different people at the same time? I found this notion to be extremely fascinating, as I’ve experienced similar synchronicities with other astral travelling friends over the years.Eternal was inspired late one eve under the influence of a mescaline trip. It wasn’t until years later that I had enough confidence in my technique to paint what I saw.

FALL 2007

ETERNAL
J. Myztico Campo

I recall listening to “1983 ... (A Merman I Should Turn to be.)” Electric Ladyland cd by Jimi Hendrix. I lay down on my bed, closed my eyes as the soundscapes carried me to another dimension, if you will. A mysterious goddess appeared to me. She held a glittering jewelled staff with an ankh at the head; she was chanting something telepathically - it was haunting yet soothing. She began to move the staff in a figure 8 motion. The landscape was very unusual (alien yet earthy). A flame emerged from the ground, and this black shadow emerged out of the fire. At first the shadow was black with dark blue veins, then the outline of it’s skeleton appeared, inner organs, muscle tissue… Then I heard the heartbeat as the flesh of the outer shell revealed this electrified being in a krilian photographic kind of energy field. I remember having a deep conversation with this being about the mysteries of life. (I can write more about this but shall save it for a future article).

VISIONARY REVUE

FOOD OF THE GODS
J. Myztico Campo

Finally in the painting Food of the Gods, I combined a variety of imagery that I’ve visualized over the last decade of entheogenic explorations.
The mushroom spirit comes alive emitting a staggering variety of unfolding mysteries of life. It can be a teacher, healer or therapist. It can awaken the primal shamanistic animal spirit within each of us if we allow it to. It will show you sides to yourself that will surface like a waking dream.
These sacred plants, which have been honoured by diverse cultures for thousands of years, are to be respected. In my humble opinion, world corporate governments ban them for the simple reason that they don’t want to have uncontrollable masses of humanity with enlightened minds questioning their authority. It is the agenda of an ignorant government body to create this war against entheogens to maintain their prison industry for breaking their so called “laws” creating a serfdom out of sovereign sentient beings who are non-violent and choose to explore their deeper selves. It’s ok for these “corporate governments” to create war & suffering, but it’s not ok for non-violent sentient adult beings to choose what makes them happy and fulfilled - a sad irony indeed.

FALL 2007

SHHH... THE DREAM IS STARTING
J. Myztico Campo

Perhaps what humanity needs at this fragile point in history is a gathering of world leaders under a supervised setting to partake in a serious entheogenic experience. Perhaps only then will their third eye awaken to deeper inner truths and help them to forever change their mindset for a more productive and harmonious future for humanity.Hmmmm…is it possible?

J. Myztico Campo, or Tico as his friends call him was born on the revolutionary island of Cuba. His Parents fled Cuba when he was less than a year old to escape Castro's dictatorship and moved to New York City. Tico was raised in the Heart of Times Square, formerly known as Hell's Kitchen or more recently as the Theatre District.
His interest in the arts began at the age of 5, primarily inspired by his father's light hearted drawings of cowboys, indians & assorted NYC characters. Fascinated by how lines formed images he became engrossed with art. Spending hours with coloring books, drawing dinosaurs, monsters, skeletons & odd creations. He was also influenced at this young age by the animated art of Max Fleischer, Ralph Bakshi, Robert Crumb and Marvel Comics as well as the local NYC Graffitti Art.
At the age of 11, Tico was awarded an Art Scholarship to the Manhattan School of Arts in New York City. However, due to personal family circumstances he was unable to accept it at that time. It was fate as his natural style continued to develop!
From the ages of 15 through to 19, he became a co-founding actor in the Family Life Theatre Group in New York City (sponsored by NY Medical College ), touring the United States & Canada.
In spite of a promising acting career ahead of him it was Tico's first love and passion for art & music that was to be his main focus. During his mid 20s/30s he went on to show his work at art galleries throughout the East Coast as well as performing with various local bands as a guitarist/producer. As a musician he has performed with several bands & has toured the States & Europe. You can hear samples of his musical journey on the SonicScapes Music Lounge page of his website.
One of his paintings titled Shamanizing was to become part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Native Americans in Washington, DC. His works are mostly acrylic on canvas based as well as recent digital realm explorations. Myztico is also exploring his love of filmmaking and photography, as these are parallel creative dimensions.
In 2004 Tico studied at the Digital Film Academy in NYC where he wrote, animated & directed a short student film, The StarSeed Incident which premiered as a 'work in progress' at the 2004 HBO sponsored NY International Latino Film Festival in NYC. Winning an Independent Light award with his producing partner (fellow Family Life Theatre colleague) & lead actor Antone Pagan.
Visionary Surrealism and Inter-Dimensional Vibrations inspires his work.His original paintings are collected by a wide variety of art lovers from all walks of life. He is presently completing a new series of paintings based on his fascination and study of various ancient cultures that explore Shamanism, Dreamtime, Entheogens and Spirit World Energies.
Past Gallery art shows over the last decade in the USA include: CB's Gallery 313, Agora, Gill Gallery, Coda, Kostabi World, Grant Gallery, DFN Gallery, Studio 18, Ward-Nasse Gallery, Novo Arts, Phoenix Gallery, Galleria Cuba, One Zeime's Art Bar, amongst several others.